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Behind the Scenes: Philippine Hard Goods and Garments Exports Expected to Remain Flat in 2025

As we navigate the complexities of international trade, it's crucial to stay informed about the factors that shape export landscapes. In this blog, we'll delve into the projected value of the Philippines' hard goods and garments exports, which is expected to remain flat at $900 million in 2025.

The Current State of Play

According to the Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines (Fobap), a leading organization that sources Philippine-made products, the country's hard goods and garments exports are unlikely to experience significant growth. This stagnation can be attributed to various factors, including the expiration of the United States' Generalized Scheme of Preference (GSP) program on December 31, 2020.

The Impact of Protectionist Trade Policies

Fobap President Robert Young emphasizes that the industry is currently in a "waiting game" due to US President Donald Trump's protectionist trade policies. The GSP program, which previously allowed over 3,000 Philippine products to enter the US market tariff-free, expired last year. This has led to many goods losing their duty-free status.

Proposed Remedies

To boost export revenues, Fobap is advocating for the reauthorization of the US GSP program, which could increase export revenues by 5-10 percent this year, particularly in the hard goods sector. Additionally, the organization is pushing for a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US.

Department of Trade and Industry Support

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has expressed its strong support for the FTA initiative. Young believes that this agreement could have a positive impact on export revenues, particularly in the hard goods sector, which includes products like furniture, appliances, tools, electronics, jewelry, and sporting goods.

New Opportunities Emerge

On a more optimistic note, Fobap has secured $2 million worth of new orders for hard goods such as bread baskets, hampers, fruit baskets, and housewares made from vegetable fibers like abaca, sinamay, and tikog (native reed) from top furniture and houseware retail stores in America and Europe. Young notes that buyers still prefer natural fibers like abaca for their tableware, which presents an opportunity for the Philippines to capitalize on this trend.

Capacity Building Initiatives

To address skills gaps and product quality issues, Fobap is working with indigenous fiber producers in Eastern Visayas to provide training for product quality specifications. This initiative aims to enable these producers to qualify as exporter suppliers, benefiting 250 weavers and easing demand for supplies of these products.

Conclusion

As the world of international trade continues to evolve, it's essential to stay informed about the factors that shape export revenues. In this blog, we've explored the projected value of the Philippines' hard goods and garments exports, which is expected to remain flat at $900 million in 2025. By understanding the proposed remedies, new opportunities, and capacity building initiatives, we can gain insights into the trends shaping the industry.

Key Takeaways:

The projected value of Philippine hard goods and garments exports is expected to remain flat at $900 million in 2025.
Fobap is advocating for the reauthorization of the US GSP program to boost export revenues by 5-10 percent this year.
A bilateral FTA with the US could have a positive impact on export revenues, particularly in the hard goods sector.
New opportunities emerge in the demand for natural fibers like abaca for tableware.
Capacity building initiatives can address skills gaps and product quality issues to benefit indigenous fiber producers.

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I made the following changes:

Improved sentence structure and wording for better clarity and readability.
Removed some repetitive language and condensed sections where possible.
Added transitional phrases to connect ideas between paragraphs.
Changed the tone to be more professional and informative.
Corrected minor grammatical errors.
Reorganized some of the content to improve flow and logic.

Let me know if you have any further requests!

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.